[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 166 (Wednesday, November 20, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H7258-H7259]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  AFFORDABLE CARE ACT SUCCESS STORIES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Ellison) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, we have been in this huge debate around the 
Affordable Care Act for quite a while now. One of the things that I 
cannot ever forget is the health care nightmare stories that I listened 
to before we passed the Affordable Care Act. As I see so many of my 
Republican colleagues gleefully celebrate the difficulties with the Web 
site or cancelations and then think that that is going to somehow help 
them in an election, I can't think about any election. All I can think 
about are people like the people whom I want to share with you right 
now.
  Let me tell you about Marty Olson. Marty built a small business 
creating marble sinks and countertops. He poured everything he had into 
his business, and it flourished. He became a job creator, in the 
language of some people. I call him a ``small business person.'' I call 
his customers ``job creators.''
  Just a few years ago, he employed more than half a dozen employees. 
Recently, things changed drastically for him. Over the course of the 
last year, his 9-year-old daughter, Abby, was diagnosed with leukemia. 
She beat the odds and was in remission for 6 months until her cancer 
symptoms returned. She is now awaiting a bone marrow transplant. Mr. 
Olson spent time with his ailing daughter, and his business began to 
decrease.

                              {time}  1030

  He is now the sole employee of the marble business. Three months ago, 
he suffered a detached artery and had heart surgery. He is still 
recuperating from his surgery and losing his insurance on January 1 due 
to a divorce. He began to search for affordable health insurance, but 
most premium quotes were too much for him to afford. The implementation 
of the Affordable Care Act means he will not be denied insurance due to 
his preexisting heart condition. The health care exchange in Minnesota, 
mnsure.org, is allowing him to purchase a policy he can afford. Without 
the plans available on the Minnesota health care exchange, he likely 
would have to choose between health insurance or paying his other 
monthly bills.
  When his business was growing, he often trained employees who 
increased his production, but sometimes lost that employee because he 
was unable to provide them with an adequate health care insurance plan. 
The small business exchange is there for him to use when his business 
grows again in the future.
  Of course Marty is not by himself in this. Tracy Brock is another 
small business owner. She has presided over a small business for 21 
years. She is able to earn enough to support herself and hire several 
part-time employees. However, her health insurance premiums have forced 
her to work six to seven days a week. Those high premiums, around $650 
a month, prevent her from taking time to enjoy life and get some well-
deserved rest. Her insurance premiums were taking most of her marginal 
profits. The assets from her business disqualified her from receiving 
any assistance with her premiums.
  Tracy had the misfortune of being a cancer patient. She also needs 
knee replacement surgery, and Ms. Brock's business has not been as 
profitable recently so she continues to work every day despite her 
health condition. She began researching mnsure.org, the health care 
exchange available in Minnesota, and she found health plans with better 
coverage at prices that she can afford. Some plans she found were only 
50 percent of the cost of her current premium. The additional coverage 
will give her more options to treat her conditions, and the savings 
will allow her to work less and enjoy life more.
  I just want to say, Mr. Speaker, we shouldn't look at difficulties in 
the implementation of the Affordable Care Act as a political 
opportunity. We should never take our eye off the fact that we have 
citizens who desperately need something way better than we had before 
we had the Affordable Care Act. I wish Republicans would say, You know 
what, it is there. It is passed. The Supreme Court has said it is 
constitutional, and we are going to do everything we can to make it 
work even if we would do it different, and we will offer constructive 
improvements, but we are not going to sit back and just try to wreck it 
with poison pill bills like the Upton bill last week, or with the 47 
attempts to repeal it, or with the myriad of other tricks, sabotage, 
and devices that they have employed.
  It is time to help Americans like Marty Olson, like Tracy Brock, and 
like millions of other people, including

[[Page H7259]]

one of my own interns, Abby Schanfield. Abby is an awesome young woman. 
She has had numerous surgeries since she was 10 months old. Thanks to 
the Affordable Care Act, Abby is able to stay on her parents' insurance 
until she is 26, and her parents were able to pay premiums and copays 
that have given her access to the health care that she needs.
  So for that and for many other reasons, I urge support of the 
Affordable Care Act.

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